Next to the old lady's courtyard, the Marquis's residence has a large garden with a small pond. This pond is not a stagnant pool; it was dug from a river that originally flowed through the mansion. It is about the size of a football field and is surrounded by Taihu stones to prevent young children from falling in. After all, this river meanders through the north and south of the capital, flowing not only through the Yongning Marquis's residence but also through several other mansions.
Some lotus flowers were planted in the pond, and some ducks were also raised in the pond. Because the inlet and outlet of the river flowing through the mansion were blocked by iron fences, the ducks could not escape, so they laid eggs around the pond, and the masters of the mansion were able to eat fresh duck eggs.
The flower hall is built next to the pond. It is a square pavilion. In summer, it is covered with straw mats woven from cattails. The straw mats can also be rolled up and hung on the roof of the pavilion. In winter, it is surrounded by thick woolen felt. A brazier is lit inside. It is a wonderful place to drink, play the zither, or paint.
In the July evening, the sun was no longer so strong, and sitting by the pond was quite comfortable.
The straw mat in the pavilion had been rolled up, and mugwort was burned around it to repel mosquitoes. Several lanterns were lit around the flower hall, and an eight-immortal table was set up inside. The table was now full of plates and dishes. Ning Shi and her three sisters-in-law were sitting at the table. When they saw Zhang Zhaoci bringing Xu Di over, they quickly got up to greet them.
Ning said with a smile, "I apologize for the intrusion, and I hope my sister-in-law and nephew will not take offense."
Xu Di waved his hand and said, "Aunt, please sit down. We're all family, so let's not stand on ceremony."
Ning smiled and said to her three sisters-in-law, "Our eldest nephew is so straightforward. Let's sit down first. The night is long, so let's talk slowly."
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "You are all his elders, so please feel free to speak up if you have any questions. If he doesn't help you aunts and uncles, why would he help others?"
Zhou said with a smile, "I like Third Sister-in-law's straightforwardness. Eldest Sister-in-law, let me tell you, Third Sister-in-law and Young Master are not outsiders, so we don't need to make such a big deal out of it."
Ning said, "That's not right. We need your help, young master, so we should show you the sincerity we need to offer."
After everyone was seated, the maidservants serving them filled their wine cups. Xu Di put his cup aside and said, "I will be taking the provincial examination in a while, so I'll skip this wine. I'll treat all of you aunts and uncles to a proper drink after I finish the exam."
Everyone was understanding that Xu Di had to go to take the provincial examination. Since the dinner was mainly tonight to ask Xu Di for help, they didn't insist. Ning Shi let Zhang Zhaoci fill her glass before raising her wine cup and saying, "We must have cultivated for a long time in our past lives to be able to marry into the same family as sisters-in-law. Let's drink this cup first."
If you really think about it, the number of sisters-in-law in the Marquis's mansion seems to be much greater than in other mansions. At least these sisters-in-law are relatively easy to get along with. Others may not know, but the sisters from their own maternal families often go back to their mother's house to cry and complain. What do they complain about? They complain that the eldest and youngest sisters-in-law in the mansion are difficult to get along with, and that the sisters-in-law are undermining and tripping each other up.
Zhang Zhaoci downed her drink, and Xu Di also downed his tea, then said with a smile, "Auntie, please don't stand on ceremony with me, all you aunts and uncles. If you need anything, just ask. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help you."
Hearing Xu Di say this, the four Ning family members breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou said with a smile, "I knew it! Our young master is such a kind-hearted person. Granny Shen said that the young master helped our old lady with some planning. A small estate of a few dozen acres can earn several thousand taels of silver a year. There's no reason for the young master to stand idly by when it comes to our place."
Zhang Zhaoci and Xu Di then understood that this was arranged by the old lady. Xu Di immediately realized that the old lady wanted him to help his aunts and uncles earn money so that his family wouldn't be separated from the rest of the household in Hexi. Now that he had helped his aunts and uncles, who wouldn't remember his kindness?
The old lady had really gone to great lengths for him and his family, and Xu Di felt that he must not let her down.
Xu Di knew that after demonstrating his earning ability to the old lady through his actions, she understood that he was a shrewd person who had turned a small estate into a money-making machine. The primary goal of his aunts and uncles after acquiring the estate and shops was to make money. Since he had this ability, why couldn't he use it to strengthen his family's relationship with his aunts and uncles? Furthermore, his father was the only illegitimate son in the household. Although there had never been any reports of legitimate sons suppressing illegitimate sons in the household over the years, his father, Xu Rao, was still lower in status than them. Now, with this move by the old lady, he could be said to have firmly bound his family to the other families in the household.
Xu Di quickly realized that after his aunts and uncles took over the shops and estates, his uncles and aunts had their own tasks. Since the properties belonged to the old lady, if one of them didn't manage them personally, the other cousins would feel embarrassed to do so and would leave them to their wives. Xu Di would just help out from the sidelines.
However, after the old lady gave the items to the people, she gave them some shocking news: Xu Di, the son of the third branch of the family, was a man who could turn stones into gold. As long as they asked him for help with ideas and solutions, he could make those shops and estates earn a lot of money for their family.
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